What happens to Earth's temperature as cloud cover increases?
1 Answer
Heating/cooling the Earth's surface by cloud depends on the
cloud's altitude, size, and the particles that form the cloud, in the
coalescence process. Vast clouds make it cooler.
Explanation:
Heating or cooling the Earth's surface by a cloud depends on the
cloud's altitude, size, and the particles that form the cloud, in the
coalescence process..
Low and thick clouds reflect solar radiation and keeps the surface
cooler..
High and thin clouds allow solar radiation. Also, they block some
outgoing infrared-radiation from the Earth and reflect it. This makes
the local surface slightly warmer..
The net effect might be either cooler or warmer, in comparison to
what it would be in the absence of clouds. Mostly, it might be
making the surface cooler, with the increase of clouds, in all their
characteristics..
Reference: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/clouds/